Printing press



0, 1935. c. A. MEISEL PRINTING PRESS Filed April 18, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 26, 1935. c. A. MEISEL PRINTING PRESS Filed April 18, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inward/$02 Charlw 11 Nevis eZ, @M M 3 Patented Aug. 20, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT. 1, orrIcE This invention relates'to'printing presses of the rotary'multi-color web? type, and the object is to provide a combination of parts permitting various lengths ofsheet to be-printedon' a web while-utilizing a minimum of mechanism entail-ling a correspondingly small capital investment and with a convenience and rapidity requiring correspondingly small operating expense.

' My invention will be well understood by referenceto the following description taken .in connection with the accompanying drawings which are diagrammatic andsimplified by the omission of parts and detailszunnecessary-toan under standing of the invention and'wherein:---

Fig. l is a' section on the line fi -7.1 ofFigJ-Z illustrating the majorportion of. the'mechanism in diagrammatic sideelevation; Fig. 1a is aside elevation of another tioningplane of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a plan; and v Fig. 3' is an enlarged detail to be referred to.

Multi-color rotary presses for operating on webs in which a. plurality of plate cylinders cooperate either with a single large impression cylinder or withv individualimpression cylinders are well known. vObviouslythe speed of the :web

passing through the printing couples is the'same as the surface speed of the plate cylinders and if the. web moves continuously a lengthcequalto the, circumference of thesej'cylinders passes through the press oneaoh revolution thereof. Thus for a given sizeof cylinder only at best a small. range of sheet lengths can be. printed on the web without excessive waste. In some cases.

to ,avoid' the use of a number of complete and independent presses the plate cylinders are removed from the frame and replaced .by others of different size, thus permitting a different sheet lengthto "be printed. Obviously, however, this involves a partial disassembly and reassembly of the press with much, mechanical labor. and diniculty of adjustment. g

In accordance withmy invention Iorganize the press in such a manner that printing couples organized as a unit and separate fromthe inking mechanisms and otherauxiliary mechanisms ;of the press may be bodily withdrawn by a simple and rapid operation out of cooperation with the latter mechanisms and replaced with a similarly. organized unit embcdying'plate cylinders of dif-' ferent size. An example of such a is illustrated. in the drawings Referring to Figs. land 2, the printing mech-i ani'sm embodying the interchangeable units referred to I shall refer to as a press, using that wordthe singularf The construction may embody the main longitudinal supports or base stringers which constitute the foundation for the portions of the press which operate at any construction portion of the mechanism at the oppositeside of the secgiven" time. Adjacent these base stringers 5 base stringers 5; A self-contained and'unitary :frame i5 is adapted to be'supported above the base stringers 5 and carries theprinting couples. that is, the impressionmeans and the plate or type means, herein illustrated asa single large impression cylinder H and plate cylinders i9,

herein shown as six .in number, ranged about it and geared together with it for rotation: at the :same. surfacespeed in well understood manner.

' In the embodiment; of the invention shown this frame also hasa bracket 2| for supporting the roll of web which is to be printed. although. this is not essential. These mechanisms are driven from pinion i3 and herein alarge gear 23 on the :there may be provided in one side thereof .(see, Fig, 2) the standards'lin which ismounted a 'driveshaft 9 adapted to take motionfrom any 7 suitable source of power, herein illustrated as an electricinotor li. driving pinion i 3 on the' end-of this shaftisp'resented' adjacent one of the axis of theimpression cylinder ll meshes with the. pinion. By wayof example and to permit the .inventionto be more readily apprehended we may consider that the type cylinders'i are 24 inches in: circumference r Independent-selfecontained frames 25 and'2? supported on the'base stringers 5 carry the inking mechanisms and these frames may be moved away from frame: R5 in well known manner, being shown in the retracted position in the figur'es, or advanced into cooperation therewith so that the various inkingrolls cooperate with the plate cylinders in'the'customary manner. I have "here shown also a frame 29' for supporting a smut roll and aframe 3! for the rewound'roll'.

Herein the frame l5 with the printing couples is adapted to be drawn transversely (downwardly in Fig. 2) outfrom' between the inking mecha nisms and offthe longitudinal base stringers 5,

the driven gear 23 in s'uchmovement separating witha substantially axial movement-from the driving pinion l3. vI have herein shown transverse rails .35 and wheeled trucks 3'5 to. which the weight of frame it may be shifted, by suitable means .not shown, to permit the frame to be moved along these :rails and to two aligned rails 39; mounted ontrucks 4! which run 'on 'the rails 43 paralleling thebase stringers at the side there of opposite the location of the driving shaft 9. On these. rails 43 there is adapted to move a similar truck lia. with rails 32a onwhich'run the trucks 3m supporting the frame Ifia'on which are mounted printingcouplesand which frame and the mechanisms carried thereon are sub'sta'n-' tially similarto theframe' i5 and themechanisnis" thereonlexceptas to" the size of the plate cylinders ifiai fln the example shown in which a single large impression cylinderis used, the cylinder I la is substantially a duplicate of the cylinder l1 and carries a gear 23a corresponding to the gear 23. The center lines of the printing couplesare homologous in the two sets of mechanisms, Thus again by way of example, assuming that the cylinders l9 are 24 inches in circumference, we may suppose that the cylinders 9a are 18 inches in circumference, these two figures representing one practical range.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, it will be apparent that with the frames 25 and 21 withdrawn to the positions there shown, the frame Ilia may be moved transversely (downwardly in the figure) onto the truck 4|, its gear 23 being drawn out of mesh with driving pinion l3 and when on the truck the latter may be rolled to theleft in the figure on rails 43. This will permit truck Ma to be moved from the position illustrated to the position occupied in the figure by truck 4! and the auxiliary frame 15a then to be slid (upwardly in the figure) to the position therein occupied by the frame I5 and with gear 23a. entering into mesh with pinion l3 ready to be driven thereby. I

The inking rolls (see Fig. 3), as will be understood by those skilled in the art, may be adjusted so that they will occupy either the. full line positions illustrated in that figure to cooperate with a large type cylinder such as I9 or the dotted line positions to cooperate with the smaller cylinders l9a.

It will be apparent that in some instancesmore than two unitary frames supporting. printing couples may be utilized in connection with a single set of inking mechanisms and other auxiliary mechanisms in analogous manner.

It will be apparent that by the arrangement described a quick and expeditious change of the press as a whole from one sheet length to another may be effected with very little mechanical work. While one of the units, as I5, is in operation the other, as 15a, may be adjusted and the cylinders are accessible for the purpose of makeready. This arrangement offers particular advantages even though cylinders of the same size may be used in the several -units.. Thus, for example, jobs may be run off in rapid succession without interruption for purposes of adjusting the press, the adjustmentfor one job being completed while the other job is being turned out. A

run with one unit may be temporarily interrupted to permit a'rush order to be gotten out by means of the other unit, and when such rush order is completed the interrupted run may be resumed without the slightest embarrassment since the relation of the impression means and the plate cylinders of the temporarily displaced unit was not changed in any way by its temporary withdrawal and subsequent replacement.

. I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desirethe present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive; reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim: 1. A printing press of the multi-color rotary web type comprising a set of independent selfcontained frames, each comprising impression means and a plurality of type cylinders, the mechanisms of each set being similarly arranged but differing in thesize of the type cylinders, frames carrying inking mechanism adjustable to cooperate with such type cylinders of different sizes, the first mentioned frames of the set being readily bodily movable to place any one thereof into cooperation with the frames carrying the inking mechanism, and means for handling a web which passes through the so cooperating assemblage.

'2. A printing press of the multi-color rotary webtype comprising a main base and independent 'frames'for constituent mechanisms of the press carried thereby including frames supporting inking mechanism longitudinally adjustable on the base to bring the mechanism into cooperation with printing cylinders and a self-contained frame carrying a plurality of plate cylinders and cooperating impression means, said last frame being shiftable transversely of the base to permit its ready withdrawal bodily from between the frames for the inking mechanism for replacement-by a similar frame having cylinders of different dimension, theinking mechanisms being adjustable in their frames to provide for their cooperation with various sizes of cylinders. 3. A printing press of the multi-color rotary web type comprising a main base, independent frames adapted to be supported on said base and comprising self-contained units for alternative assemblage with the base, each including an impression cylinder and a plurality of type cylinders ranged along center lines radial to the impression cylinder, the type cylinders of the several units being of different sizes, the center lines of the cylinders in the several units. being homologous, and frames carrying adjustable inking mechanisms longitudinally movable along said base for positioning in cooperative relation with any such unit and means for handling a web which passes througha so. cooperating assemblage.

4. A printing press of the multi-color rotary web type comprising ajmain base, shafting at a side thereof adapted to take motion from a source of power and including a driving gear, a selfcontained unit movable transversely to and from said base and into and out from cooperationwith said gear and including an impression cylinder and a plurality of plate cylinders geared together, frames shiftable longitudinally of said base carrying inking mechanisms in constant driven relation to others of said gears, and means for handling a web passing through the press, the organization described permitting bodily interchange of self-contained units as described.

5. A printing press of the multi-color rotary web type comprising a main base and independent frames for constituent mechanisms of the press carried thereby including frames supporting inking mechanism longitudinally adjustable on the base to bring the mechanism into cooperation with printing. cylinders and a self-contained frame carrying a'plurality of plate cylinders and cooperating impression means, a movable support for said self-contained frame outward of said base, supporting means extending transversely of the base, means for engaging the frame with said supporting means for movement therealong to remove the same bodily from the base and transfer it to said movable support for removal thereby to permit a similar self-contained unit to be moved along saidsupportingmeans and placed on the base in cooperation with said inking mechanisms.

' CHARLES A. MEISEL. 

